From Poverty Reform to Program Funding Cuts

Where are the advocates? Where are the social workers? What are the Democrats doing? People thought that electing Howard Dean as the chairman of the Democratic National Convention would make some waves but even in light of the recent Republican debacles the conservatives have us chasing our tails and too overwhelmed to push any issues effectively.

Check out this piece on how the conservatives are turning hurricane rebuilding into another reason to turn the screws on the poor.
Jason DeParle writes in his NYT article Liberal Hopes Ebb in Post-Storm Poverty Debate:

Conservatives have already used the storm for causes of their own, like suspending requirements that federal contractors have affirmative action plans and pay locally prevailing wages. And with federal costs for rebuilding the Gulf Coast estimated at up to $200 billion, Congressional Republican leaders are pushing for spending cuts, with programs like Medicaid and food stamps especially vulnerable.

"We've had a stunning reversal in just a few weeks," said Robert Greenstein, director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal advocacy group in Washington. "We've gone from a situation in which we might have a long-overdue debate on deep poverty to the possibility, perhaps even the likelihood, that low-income people will be asked to bear the costs. I would find it unimaginable if it wasn't actually happening."

Submitted and Edited By Josh Wilkins